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Who should “do more” about climate change? Cultural theory, polycentricity, and public support for climate change actions across actors and governments

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  • Matthew C. Nowlin

Abstract

Under a polycentric approach to climate change, action is taken at different scales and across all levels of government and sectors of society. Some scholars have argued that such an approach is the best lens to view the governance of climate change and that a polycentric approach has advantages in addressing collective‐action problems. However, taking a polycentric approach would require public support for action at multiple scales. The issue of climate change is polarized across political beliefs and cultural worldviews and little research has examined how the public views climate action at one level of government relative to others as well as relative to actions by the private sector and by individuals. Using an original survey of the US public from October 2017, I explore who it is that the public thinks should "do more" about climate change and the role that the cultural worldviews posited by cultural theory—hierarchical, egalitarian, individualist, and fatalist—plays in shaping those opinions. Overall, I find support for multiple actors doing more to address climate change, but with differences in support between egalitarians and individualists for actors overall and for the federal government in particular. 应对气候变化的多中心措施背景下，各级政府和社会部门都在不同层面采取行动。一些学者主张，这种方法能提供最佳视角审视气候变化治理，并且多中心措施在应对集体行动问题一事上具有优势。不过，采取多中心措施将要求公众对多个层面的行动予以支持。气候变化这一问题在不同政治信仰和文化世界观中出现极化，并且几乎没有研究分析公众如何看待某一级政府相对于其他级政府的气候行动，以及相对于由私人部门和个体采取的气候行动。通过使用一项在2017年10月针对美国公众的原创调查，我探究了公众认为应在气候变化方面“付出更多”的行动者是谁，以及由文化理论提出的文化世界观(等级论、平等主义、个人主义以及宿命论)在形成这些舆论时产生的作用。整体而言，我发现公众认为多个行动者应付出更多以应对气候变化，但平等主义者和个人主义者对行动者的支持普遍存在差异，尤其是对联邦政府的支持。 Bajo un enfoque policéntrico del cambio climático, se toman medidas a diferentes escalas y en todos los niveles de gobierno y sectores de la sociedad. Algunos académicos han argumentado que tal enfoque es la mejor lente para ver la gobernanza del cambio climático y que un enfoque policéntrico tiene ventajas para abordar los problemas de acción colectiva. Sin embargo, adoptar un enfoque policéntrico requeriría el apoyo público para la acción en múltiples escalas. El tema del cambio climático está polarizado entre las creencias políticas y las cosmovisiones culturales y poca investigación ha examinado cómo el público ve la acción climática en un nivel de gobierno en relación con otros, así como en relación con las acciones del sector privado y de los individuos. Usando una encuesta original del público de EE. UU. de octubre de 2017, exploro quién es el público que piensa que debería "hacer más" sobre el cambio climático y el papel que las cosmovisiones culturales postulan por la teoría cultural: jerárquica, igualitaria, individualista y fatalista. ‐‐ juega en la formación de esas opiniones. En general, encuentro apoyo para múltiples actores que hacen más para abordar el cambio climático, pero con diferencias en el apoyo entre igualitarios e individualistas para los actores en general y para el gobierno federal en particular.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew C. Nowlin, 2022. "Who should “do more” about climate change? Cultural theory, polycentricity, and public support for climate change actions across actors and governments," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(4), pages 468-485, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revpol:v:39:y:2022:i:4:p:468-485
    DOI: 10.1111/ropr.12468
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    2. Nils C. Bandelow & Johanna Hornung & Ilana Schröder & Colette S. Vogeler, 2022. "Hydraulic fracturing, polarization, and environmental policy implementation," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(4), pages 384-386, July.
    3. Rahmat, Al Fauzi, 2023. "Mapping Pivotal Issues of Collective Action Research: Scientometrics Analysis of Publications," OSF Preprints 9bvdy, Center for Open Science.

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